The present invention generally relates to the container manufacturing art and, more particularly, container conveyor and transfer apparatus used in connection with the decoration of containers such as can body members.
At the present time, can body member type containers, sometimes also referred to as cans, are conventionally decorated by continuously moving decorator apparatus, sometimes also referred to as printing or printer apparatus, which has a continuously rotatable container carrying mandrel wheel with circumferential spaced container carrying mandrel devices for carrying undecorated containers along a first arcuate path of movement from a loading station to a transfer station, with circumjacent ink applying devices being associated with the container along the path of movement thereof to apply ink images onto the outer peripheral container surfaces. The decorated containers are conventionally transferred from the rotatable mandrel wheel to circumferentially spaced support devices on a continuously rotatable container transfer wheel which carries the decorated containers away from the rotatable mandrel wheel along a second arcuate path. The decorated containers are then conventionally directly transferred from the rotatable transfer wheel to longitudinally spaced support pins on a continuously moving container conveyor chain, sometimes referred to as a deco chain, by which the decorated containers are carried to and through an ink curing and drying oven. Examples of prior art apparatus of this type are shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. Porterfield 3,016,153; Brigham, et al 3,227,070; Borkmann 3,231,061; Hartmeister 3,261,281; Smith, et al 3,279,360; Brigham, et al 3,300,019; Cartwright 3,469,670; Cvacho, et al 3,496,863; Zurick 3,521,554; Cvacho, et al 3,537,187; Sirvet, et al 3,548,745; Cvacho, et al 3,563,170; Sirvet 3,567,043; Gould 3,586,175; Russell 3,613,571; Sirvet, et al 3,616,778; and Sirvet, et al 3,766,851.
In order to prevent, containers from falling off pins on a chain during conveyance to and through an oven, it has been conventional practice for many years to mount the chain in an inclined position so that the pins are upwardly inclined and hold the containers in an upwardly inclined position thereon as shown in D'Errico U.S. Pat. No. 3,176,823, Hartmeister U.S. Pat. No. 3,261,281, and Sirvet et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,851. In order to effect transfer of decorated containers from the rotatable transfer wheel of a decorator apparatus to a deco chain, it also has been conventional practice for many years to utilize a construction and arrangement such that the pins are gradually telescopically inserted into the containers, prior to effecting transfer of the containers onto the pins, by the simple expedient of causing relative axial displacement between the containers and the pins during conveyance between the rotatable transfer wheel and the deco chain as illustrated by the aforementioned patents.
In the prior art, the rotatable transfer wheel apparatus has been of relatively complicated, expensive, heavyweight and large size construction to effect the required relationships of the containers relative to and between the rotatable mandrel wheel and the deco chain and to effect the transfer of the containers therebetween. In addition, such prior art apparatus has not generally permitted the most effective use of available space and the most effective location and arrangement of the conventional apparatus. In addition, the construction and arrangement of prior art apparatus has been such as to require operation of the deco chain and the transfer apparatus at different speeds to effect association and transfer of the containers relative to the deco chain pins.
In general, the present invention enables the elimination of the rotatable transfer wheel by the use of a continuously moving continuous loop lightweight inexpensive conveyor belt for conveying the containers directly from the rotatable mandrel wheel and for transferring the containers to the pins on the deco chain. The conveyor belt means comprises a belt member mounted on and driven by relatively simple inexpensive lightweight apparatus, enabling the mounting of the belt member in various positions relative to and between the rotatable mandrel wheel and the deco chain so that the belt member and deco chain may be variously located in the most advantageous positions relative to the decorator apparatus and curing oven and each other for any particular set of circumstances found in any particular container manufacturing facility. For example, the belt member may be mounted in a generally vertically extending attitude to effect transfer of containers to the chain above or below the rotatable mandrel wheel, or it may be mounted in a generally horizontally extending attitude to effect transfer horizontally outwardly of the rotatable mandrel wheel, or it may have any desired combination thereof. The belt member also enables the use of fixedly mounted nonmovable container carrying means, in the form of suction cup devices, and belt driving and timing means in the form of nut devices by which the suction cup devices are attached to the belt. The belt and the chain are synchronously driven by utilizing belt drive apparatus driven directly by the chain drive apparatus. Relatively simple, low cost, low maintenance, lightweight belt drive and guide wheel devices are enabled by use of the nut devices as the belt driving and timing means. Accurately timed positive holding and release of the containers is achieved, without use of any moving parts other than the belt and the suction cup devices affixed thereto, by providing a lightweight, inexpensive, substantially maintenance-free, container-holding vacuum connection means and container-releasing vacuum disconnecting means in the form of an elongated vacuum plenum extending between the rotatable mandrel wheel and the deco chain with a belt guide plate on one side having an elongated continuous vacuum slot therein connected to continuous elongated guide groove means in which the nut devices are slidably guidably received. The nut devices are hollow so as to connect the vacuum cup devices to vacuum throughout the length of the vacuum slot for the purpose of holding the containers on the belt member during conveyance of the containers and so as to automatically disconnect the vacuum devices from the vacuum slot adjacent the deco chain at the desired location and time of transfer of the containers from the belt member to the deco chain with the connection to vacuum being automatically re-established upon re-entry of the nut devices into the guide groove means just prior to transfer of the containers from the rotatable mandrel wheel to the suction cup devices by pressurized air propulsion, causing the containers to be blown off the mandrels onto the suction cup devices. In order to better drive the belt, additional solid center drive nut devices are fixedly mounted on the belt member in alternating spaced relationship to the suction cup nut devices, the construction and arrangement being such that at least one nut device is always in the end portions of the guide groove means to prevent the loss of effective vacuum in the end portions of the vacuum slot means which terminate closely adjacent the end portions of the guide groove means. The intermediate portions of the vacuum slot means are sealed by the adjacent side surfaces of the belt member which continuously effectively sealably engages laterally outwardly extending surfaces on each side of the guide groove means.